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Future Opportunities

Intertribal GIS Council (IGC). The Intertribal GIS Council and the USGS, through its support of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), intend to co-sponsor and assist in planning the 2002 IGC Annual Conference. The FGDC has co-sponsored this event for the last several years and plans to continue these efforts in the future. Activities with the IGC in FY2002 include producing an updated directory of GIS courses and programs offered at Tribal colleges and universities, creating scholarship and student intern programs, and updating tribal boundaries in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the FGDC. The FGDC, IGC, EPA, and USGS are also exploring opportunities to update Tribal boundary maps through an existing Memorandum of Understanding. Contact: Bonnie Gallahan, 703-648-6084, bgallahan@usgs.gov

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the National Native American Law Enforcement Association (NAALEA). The BIA, NAALEA, and USGS, through its support of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), are coordinating for the upcoming NAALEA Annual Conference which will include presentations on FGDC, crime mapping, and updates on the National Institute of Justice. Opportunities will be explored to institutionalize GIS and crime mapping into the BIA's Police Academy. Contact: Bonnie Gallahan, 703-648-6084, bgallahan@usgs.gov

Tour Opportunity. USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center personnel spoke with a representative of the Ho Chunk Nation's Department of Natural Resources about providing a tour of the Center for his staff and discussions of possible interactions in the future. The USGS intends to invite the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to participate in discussing how the Federal bureaus can jointly assist the Ho Chunk with tribal fisheries management issues. The proposed May 2001 meeting encountered scheduling problems. The USGS is continuing discussions to reschedule this meeting. Contact: Michael Dewey, 608-781-6206, Michael_Dewey@usgs.gov

Black River Falls, WI, School District. The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center is pursuing a partnership between the Center and the School District of Black River Falls, Wisconsin. Contact: Michael Dewey, Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center, 608-781-6206, Michael_Dewey@usgs.gov

GIS Workshops Planned. Sinte Gleska University (SGU) and the USGS began planning a series of workshops designed to increase the ability of educators to use geographic information systems (GIS) technology in the classrooms. The first workshop was held at the National Indian Education Association conference in October 2001. The second workshop, scheduled for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was held in November 2001. The SGU-USGS team is also planning a series of workshops at SGU during 2002 for elementary, secondary, and university educators. During the workshops, educators will have the opportunity to explore watersheds, landforms, population, ethnicity, age, land use, natural hazards, agriculture, and other issues of cultural and physical geography. They will do this by examining historical and current ground and aerial photographs, digital maps, sounds of tribal ceremonies, satellite images, tables, and charts. Through the use of GIS, teachers and students have the opportunity to investigate real-world data in a problem-solving environment, utilizing the same tools and techniques that Tribal planners, wildlife biologists, and other professionals use on the job. USGS Contact: Joseph Kerski, 303-202-4315, jjkerski@usgs.gov; SGU Contact: James Rattling Leaf, jamesrl@sinte.edu

Geographic Information in the Four Corners Region. Along with other Federal, State, and academic partners in the Colorado Plateau Data Coordination Group, USGS scientists participated in planning a workshop for Four Corners area Tribal users of geographic information systems to provide information about: GIS training and data sharing/partnership opportunities; Navajo Nation Data Resource Center; regional GIS involvement; Tribal and regional pilot projects; Federal and academic GIS projects and research; and presentation of a Colorado Plateau "Information Team" concept. Contact: David M. Vincent, 801-975-3435, dmvincent@usgs.gov

Technical Oversight of Hydrologic Investigations on Lands of the Lummi Nation. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is assisting the Lummi Nation in investigations to determine the ground-water resources on the Reservation available for the Lummi's use. Private consulting firms under contract to BIA are conducting these investigations. Because the results of these investigations may be important to potential legal actions, BIA would like an independent peer review of the work conducted. The USGS has provided a project proposal to BIA to conduct these reviews. An agreement has not yet been finalized relative to this work. Contact: Brian Drost, 253-428-3600 ext.2642, bwdrost@usgs.gov

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